*** Press Release ***

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), which oversees all transportation in the city, is pleased to announce the second of four Mission Sunday Streets events this weekend, Sunday, June 3. As the most popular Sunday Streets event, the 2.2-mile Mission route along Valencia and 24th streets is expected to once again fill with people on bikes, skates, strollers and other human-powered vehicles instead of motor vehicles from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The purpose of the Sunday Streets pilot in the Mission is for SFMTA and Sunday Streets staff to explore the costs, benefits, and feasibility of scheduling more frequent Sunday Streets events on an established route.

“Sunday Streets showcases our City’s commitment to sustainability and innovation, and has also proven a cost-effective way to improve the health of San Franciscans,” said Mayor Edwin M. Lee. “We are committed to ensuring the program’s continued growth and success in 2012 and beyond.”

“San Francisco residents, merchants and visitors have enthusiastically embraced Sunday Streets and are consistently asking us for more of these kinds of programs,” said Edward D. Reiskin, SFMTA Director of Transportation. “We are proud to introduce a new element to Sunday Streets by testing a regular car-free route through one of San Francisco’s most populated and diverse neighborhoods. During this pilot, we will be looking closely at how we can help create open spaces in communities like the Mission where park space is limited and support the many small businesses along the way.”

This four-event pilot is an important part of the planning process as the SFMTA and Sunday Streets staff work to address the growing demand to expand Sunday Streets into new areas and offer more events each season. During the pilot period (May 6 to August 5) the city will continue to actively look at ways to modify Sunday Streets operations to make events more enjoyable for participants and the surrounding neighborhoods as well as more efficient to produce

The Mission Sunday Streets will feature dozens of programs and activities presented by long-standing program partners, local artists and performers and community based organizations representing many of the diverse cultures in the Mission District. Here are some of the fun things for participants to enjoy:

24th Street Programs

Bartlett Street: Kid’s Music Festival and Activities

11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. live music by talented young musicians age 9-17 SF Rock Project

Sunday Streets is presented by the SFMTA and Livable City, Sunday Streets’ nonprofit fiscal partner responsible for the day-to-day management of the program. The 2012 season is co-presented by Bank of America. The Mayor’s Office, San Francisco Police Department, Department of Public Works, SF Environment, Department of Public Health and the Recreation and Parks Department provide resources and support for Sunday Streets.

Sunday Streets Program Partners include the YMCA of San Francisco, whose local branches organize youth activities at each event; the California Outdoor Rollersports Association, founded and led by the legendary D. Miles a.k.a. “The Godfather of Skate;” and free bike programs and services provided by Mikes Bikes, REI and Sports Basement. The following community organizations and businesses join Sunday Streets 2012 Presenting Sponsor Bank of America to provide financial support to Sunday Streets: AT&T, Bay Area Air Quality Management District, Bi-Rite Markets, Blue Shield of California, Kaiser Permanente, Recology, Shape Up SF, Simple Mobile, SF Travel, United Healthcare Workers West and University of California San Francisco.

Major in-kind support is provided by The American Red Cross Bay Area Chapter, which provides emergency medical support, City CarShare provides staff use of their vehicles and Parkwide LLC provides free bike rentals to participants during Sunday Streets and Recology provides waste management at each event. The San Francisco Examiner and Clear Channel Radio are media sponsors. The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition runs Sunday Streets’ volunteer program.